Hackney Council has just approved a third round of their Community Energy Fund which is great news and CEL is looking forward to these projects coming to life.
CEL would like to thank Hackney for their continued support of the sector – in less than three years and just under £1 million in funding, 39 projects have been funded.
Programmes like this are crucial for London boroughs to run in order for London to achieve decarbonisation – along with all of the other co-benefits that community energy brings such as lower utility bills, closer & more cohesive communities, cleaner air etc. If you work for a local authority or would like to talk to the council where you live please contact CEL and check out our guide to Setting Up A Local Authority Community Energy Fund.
Hackney have also just released a new short film all about community energy. Check it out below.
Hackney Council’s Press Release:
Thirty-nine local not-for-profit community organisations are being supported by Hackney Council to install clean power or energy saving measures, following the latest round of funding from Hackney Light and Power, its energy services arm.
This third round of funding, awarded from HLP’s community energy fund (CEF), will support Comet Nursery, Laburnum Boat Club and North London Mosque Trust to install solar panels, helping to cut bills and reduce emissions.
Four more organisations will get help to install energy efficiency measures, like LED lighting and double glazing, with 10 others supported to carry out feasibility studies to plan the installation of clean energy. This brings the total number of organisations supported by the CEF to 39 over three rounds of funding.
The CEF works by funding and pairing up local organisations with community energy groups, like Home Energy Action Lab and Stokey Energy, which are based in Hackney and have expertise in energy efficiency and installing green power.
Nearly £1m has now been earmarked for local organisations by the CEF, helping to save 160 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Our community energy fund is helping local community organisations, like schools and charities, to install clean energy in Hackney, creating a greener, healthier borough.
With the support of some of London’s incredible community energy groups, we’ve already started feasibility studies or completed installations of solar energy, new building management systems and insulation at over 20 local organisations.
This not only creates new clean power in Hackney, but helps to cut bills for some of the amazing community organisations that make Hackney what it is.
The CEF has recently supported two schools – St John and St James Primary School and Springfield Primary School – to work alongside Stokey Energy to carry out building surveys and subsequently install new solar panels.
It’s expected that these will help save 16 tonnes of carbon emissions – the equivalent of planting 738 trees.
Alex De Lange, Assistant Headteacher at Springfield Community Primary School, said: ““The kids love it. We’ve had assemblies where we’ve talked about it. Our school council is really involved in making sure that our school is actively being sustainable. Having a big project like this onsite really brings that idea of sustainability to life.
“And it has meant that it has inspired other ideas to do with recycling and reusing, and other whole school approaches. Having a big project like this, that the kids can understand the impact of, has been brilliant.”
To find out more about the community energy fund, visit: https://hackney.gov.uk/community-energy-fund